Music News (5/18/16)

2016 MusicRow Awards Nominees Revealed

MusicRow is pleased to announce the nominees for the 28th Annual MusicRow Awards, Nashville’s longest-running industry trade publication honors, including 2016 Song of the Year nominees and Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year categories.

Download the PDF and see the complete list of nominees.

Subscribed members of MusicRow will receive ballots by email on Wednesday, May 18. Voting closes on Tues., May 24 at 5 p.m. If you do not have a subscription, you may subscribe to receive your ballot.

Gordie Sampson Signs With Still Working Music

Pictured (L-R): Chuck Fleckenstein, GM and COO, Still Working Music; Chelsea Kent, Creative Director, Still Working Music; Alex Orbison, President, Still Working Music; Gordie Sampson; Derek Crownover, attorney, Dickinson Wright; Tommy Lee James, CCO, Still Working Music

Nashville publisher Still Working Music has signed songwriter Gordie Sampson to an exclusive global publishing agreement.

Sampson’s hits include Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” Hunter Hayes’ “Storm Warning,” and Eric Paslay’s “Song About a Girl.” His songs have been recorded by Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and more.

Current Still Working Music writers are Tommy Lee James, Jon Randall, Ryan Lafferty, Chase Bryant, Derrick Southerland, Matt Nolen, Skip Black, and Alana Springsteen.

Big Yellow Dog Signs Leah Nobel

Pictured (L to R): Devon Devries, VP of Film/TV- A&R; Leah Nobel; Kerry O’Neil, Co-Owner of Big Yellow Dog; Alex Stefano, Film & TV Music Manager

Big Yellow Dog Music has announced the signing of Leah Nobel, who came to Nashville after several years of building her artist and writing chops in Austin, Texas.

She has won the Indie International Songwriting Competition (pop category) and was a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition.

Pictured (L-R): Attorney Lauren Kilgore; Black River Publishing’s Celia Froehlig; ASCAP’s Robert Filhart; Jacob Davis; Black River Publishing’s Kelly Bolton; Black River Publishing’s Dave Pacula; Black River Entertainment’s Gordon Kerr; attorney T.D. Ruth.

Black River Publishing has signed Shreveport, Louisiana, native Jacob Davis to its songwriting roster.

Black River Publishing’s roster also includes Doug Johnson, Josh Kerr, Forest Glen Whitehead, Josh Okeefe, Scott Stepakoff, Ben Caver, Kelsea Ballerini and John King.

Charlie Black

Downtown Music Publishing Acquires Interest In Charlie Black Catalog

Downtown Music Publishing has acquired an interest in country lyricist Charlie Black‘s music publishing catalogs.

Black was named SESAC’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1979. He received ASCAP’s Country Songwriter of the Year award in 1983 and 1984. He was elected to the NSAI Songwriter Hall Of Fame in 1991.

Black’s writing credits include Reba McEntire’s “You Lie,” Anne Murray’s “A Little Good News” and K.T. Oslin’s “Come Next Monday,” as well as BlackHawk’s “Goodbye Says It All,” Earl Thomas Conley’s “Honor Bound,” Alan Jackson’s “Right on the Money,” Gary Morris’ “100% Chance of Rain,” and Phil Vassar’s “Carlene” and “Six-Pack Summer.”

Song Suffragettes Member Signs First Publishing Deal

Pictured (L-R): Christy DiNapoli, Sr. VP, writerslist; Todd Cassetty, Cassetty Entertainment; Kalie Shorr; Becky Pommer-Jones, VP Admin, writerslist; Nick Cua, COO (Not pictured: writerslist Chairman Erik Anderson)

Kalie Shorr has signed her first publishing deal with writerslist, a new publishing company founded by Erik Anderson, CEO and Co-Chairman of Topgolf International, Inc.

Shorr is one of the earliest members of Song Suffragettes, a collective of young women trying to break through as songwriters and artists in the Nashville music industry. Her first single, “Fight Like a Girl,” was added to Sirius XM’s The Highway. The single has also found support at CMT, Radio Disney Country, Taste of Country, Spotify and Pandora. Shorr co-wrote the song with Hailey Steele and Lena Stone.

Shorr is represented by CAA, Flood Bumstead McCready & McCarthy and Cassetty Entertainment. She participated in BMI’s Key West Songwriters Festival and is confirmed to appear at CMA Music Festival in June.